Unwanted Attentions
++ The Jump Joint ++ The Jump Joint. There's a line about wretched hives, scum and villainy in here somewhere. The place is obviously a dive bar; no one can afford to make it nice - but it is very durable, and the furniture is almost all bolted to the floor to prevent it from being used in the repeated bar fights here. The lighting is all red against dull metallic gray walls, floor and bars, and there are scorch marks and dents in the walls from scuffles. Rust has gathered in corners and is often tracked in, along with rocks and other debris from the boots of the miners that live in the area. The place looks rough, and the clientelle looks even rougher. You can get low-grade energon in here, mixed with everything from illegal additives to industrial chemicals that you probably shouldn't be ingesting if you care about your health. Decepticon banners have been hung on the walls in places, a strong indicator of the feelings of the local populace. After a long night of fights at the pits, it's pretty common to find the survivors drinking as much as they can afford to at the Jump Joint. Grimlock is one of the largest of the bots, a rather formidable presence at the bar, despite seeming to keep to himself and not bother much of everyone. The angled lines of his shoulders are drawn up as he nurses his lower than low-grade drink. No doubt its been another lucky night for people to rake in the Shanix, though for one mech that isn't why he goes down in the pit. Sixshot glances towards the ex-vanguard but leaves the big guy to his drink. Optics shifting to scan the blade he has laying upon the table as he waits for his order to arrive. Rumble strolls into the Joint, glancing around for a moment before heading over toward where Sixshot is probably trying to relax. "Hey!! So what's the news??" Somehow, he has one of those kinds of voice tones that carries over a crowd. And who else would make dramatic entrance other than the ruler of Vos. He flings the doors of the bar open with a sigh. This joint isn't actually a place of preference for him--however, it is often a place that is often visited by Decepticons and other hardy types that are potential Decepticons. Such as the large fellow sitting at the bar sipping a cheap drink. Starscream slides Grimlock a crafty look before sitting down next to him. "Boring evening, don't you think?" The seeker waves the bartender over, and orders one of the more expensive drinks. *a Grimlock does note Sixshot nearby at the bar, giving him a quick look before his optics are narrowing in annoyance at the sound of Rumble's voices over the crowd. And then, well -- then there's Starscream standing right next to him, ordering a /good/ drink, and his response is something along the lines of a low growl. "Whattayou want?" Looking down at the smaller mech Sixshot glances around at those nearby before saying, "Depends on which news you mean. If your talking about the latest action in the pits, whose around should make it obvious." His optics narrow as he catches Starscreams entrance but focuses back on Rumble, "What you having?", offering him a drink. "Yeah, just tryin' to make with the socialism," Rumble admits with a shrug as he has a seat with Sixshot. He glances back toward Starscream, and grins in...amusement? Surprise? Maybe some of both. "Well look who's come slummin' with the commons," he quips with a chuckle. Starscream looks taken aback. "Oh, nothing really, just to buy you a drink," he says, grinning and arching a brow ridge at Grimlock. "Will you get my friend here one of that I'm having?" he asks the bartender. Starscream just gives Frenzy a half-amused look. "Ah, slag, why not. Drinks on me," he tells the bartender again, "for the little guy and his.. friend." He gives Sixshot a sly look. "What." Grimlock's voice is as flat as his gaze is suspicious as he glares at Starscream. And his /drinks/. And his /generosity/. Sixshot rolls his optics at Starscream though doeesn't make it obvious. Let the mech show off with still being high caste. Personally he doesn't care though he will accept the drink. Looking to Rumble he says, "Yeah rare for him to come out of his tower, unlike the others." "What do you mean, rare for me to come out of my tower?" he gives Sixshot an annoyed look. "I come here plenty often." He sighs. "Not because I want to, but you know--Megatron makes demands," He huffts. "Oh come on, mech. Accept my generosity." He claps Grimlock the back. "No strings attached, I promise." He smiles politely. Rumble will accept as many drinks as anyone buys him. His drinking capacity for his somewhat small stature is rather reknowned in Kaon. "Thanks! Yeah, bring 'em on. It's a good time to fuel up." He doesn't know very much about Grimlock, except that he might have seen him in the gladitorial pits. "Well I'm not saying thank you," Grimlock gruffs back at Starscream, even as he snatches up the new and improved drink the bartender offers to draw it close. "You wanna throw your money away, go ahead." "Nothing personal, Starscream, you have your duties there besides what you choose to do for Megatron," Sixshot replies. Nodding to Rumble he turns to look to Grimlock, "Good work out there as always Grimlock. If we do do go down there together someday, lets do so with honor." "Accepting isn't saying thank you," Starscream says, waving a hand dismissively, "but, I suppose it'll just have to do." He peers at Grimlock, then glances over at Sixshot. "Pft," he scoffs. "Honor, who cares about that. It is paltry matter in the light of equality. We must strive for it. Peace through tyranny. Isn't that what Megatron says?" He sips on his drink. Rumble happily guzzles away what appears to be his weight in low-grade energex. It doesn't seem to have any particularly drastic effect on him. "All I know is, you shoulda seen the shootout on the streets...you missed out...some racer mechs got into it with IAA officials or somethin'. Big drama!" "I fight with my team," Grimlock replies dourly to Sixshot. He shoots another narrow-opticed glare at Starscream. "He just wants to be the one with his foot on someone's neck." "That is what he says and I accept it, but what happens in the ring is different then the battlefield for me. So I give respect where do," Sixshot replies nodding to Grimlock. Looking to Rumble he does chuckle, "Yeah that little madness was interesting. Course Blurr took off fast but the others got their hits in." ".... I'm sure it was great," Starscream humors the cassette, although his expression is about as disinterested as disinterested gets. "Let's not talk about Megatron," Starscream says blandly, avoiding looking at Sixshot. Upon hearing Blurr's name, Starscream arches his brow ridges. "Blurr...? Hm, always wondered what that back stabbing little blue speedster has been up to these days. Anyway, I assume life has handed you a hard dice roll," he says to Grimlock, "so do take note of the fact that my generosity isn't terribly limited." *loudmouthed bot Grimlock tosses back his glass of higher-grade energon and sets it back on the bar with a loud thump of glass. Then his gaze turns back to Starscream, optics flashing, and he rises to his full, considerable height. "I'm not," the warrior says in a low, dangerous voice, "your charity case. Don't care how limitless your generosity is. So why don't you take your 'generosity' and shove it up your tailpipe, you rich little--" "Y'know that those words are," Rumble comments, as he looks from Grimlock's reaction over toward Sixshot. The only way he's hiding his grin is because he happens to wear a faceplate in this original root mode. "Those are *fightin'* words." Sixshot nods to Starscream, "Yeah don't know why he was here with Hot Rod and what most likely was a outlier. You wanna see the events, Rumble has them recorded. As for where he is now, probably back where he thinks he belongs." Looking to Rumble he shakes his head, "You and that phrase. Now you want to see this place get torn up again." "Whoa, heeeey!" Starscream says, flying up and out of Grimlock's reach. "No need to get your axle's bent out of shape, I'm just trying to help you." He holds up both hands innocently. "Let's start over. What do you want?" "For you and your /Decepticons/ to leave me alone," Grimlock says, his voice rising to close to a roar. "I don't fight for you or the Autobots or the Senate or /anyone/. I don't need your /help/. I need you to get out of my face before I /lose it/." There's the flicker of an unsettled glance that accompanies his final words, one that flits rapidly over Sixshot and Rumble and the rest of the crowd, one filled with a certain apprehension. This is the kind of public meltdown that seems to fuel Rumble's enjoyment of violence to extreme degrees. He gets all giddy when mechs talk smack, for...some reason. "Sounds like he don't wanna make no friends today," he laughs, looking over toward Starscream. "Hey, you can join us, though! You wanna talk to Six an' I, we ain't gonna lose it!" And maybe Starscream will buy them ANOTHER round! Maybe. "Right now Starscream, I suggest doing what he says," Sixshot says locking optics with Grimlock though not making any aggressive moves, "Unlike him, I'm not here to push you into a choice but to refuel. You can drag him to the ring for all I care, though he would." "Fine," Starscream says, merely glancing over at Sixshot and Rumble. "I'll leave you alone. But tell me this, who do you fight for? Yourself? To what end? Violence without purpose is meaningless. I never asked you to join anything, nor did I even say the word Decepticon." He flies up, heads straight for the door of the bar. "Think about it. Unless you'd like to go on living and fighting, leading a life empty of anything except pointless violence that will only lead to your own demise eventually. Then, by all means, be my guest." And with that, he leaves. "You come in talking about Megatron, you don't need to say the rest." Grimlock glares at Starscream's back as he leaves, his fingers closing around the back of his barstool. By the time he pries his hand off, he's left finger-sized dents in the metal. "Just want to get offa this stinkin' planet--" He glances sharply at Sixshot and Rumble, but clearly they haven't proved the source of his ire, because he leaves them alone to shuffle off his own way. "I hope you get what you went then Grimlock, you and your team," is all Sixshot says before turning back to his drink. Looking to Rumble he adds, "So make any shanix off that picture I suggested?" "Nah, but then again, I ain't seen the mech in question yet, neither," Rumble admits, sipping his drink. "Man, I tell you, I seen more fights these days over polly-tics. Mechs are really takin' sides now, an' it ain't no surprise." Sixshot nods, "Things are heating up and most likely soon will boil over. But for now just going to live as I can. Course going to be talking to the big guy soon about what that Camien proposed we do." "Y'know, I ain't seen Megs inna while," Rumble admits. "You seen him lately? I'm thinkin' he's gotta lot of ground to cover now. I hope he don't forget about us here in Kaon..." "Other then hearing him on the radio lately, I have not spoken to him personally," Sixshot replies as he thinks, "He's not going to leave us as he plans to have a meeting soon." This news seems to be enough to placate Rumble. "That's good, cause I think there's enough interest now to really get some organizin'-type stuff going. He' "He's real good at that sorta thing. Cause he KNOWS mechs. He knows how they are, what they're goin' through." Glancing around to make sure no ones too close Sixshot nods to Rumble, "Yeah he does, but remember not all in the ranks are experienced fightets. He's being cautious, though he says its time to handle least two things, a problem close to home and another that he learned of recently." The first should be obvious being Clench, the other unless he heard Megs talking about Elita One wanting to send them to destroy the institute is not. Rumble nods, with a keen look in his optics. "Oh right. 'Nother thing I wanna bring up to him is we got some interested...outliers, with a few talents. I met one a'them. He's real smart...I think all it'd take would be a meeting with Megs to get him on board." Sixshot looks to Rumble as he orders two more drinks sayig, "Hmm, who did you find?" "Guy named Soundwave. He's already known by a few, but he was new to me, so I got him a drink an' we got to talkin'. I really think he'd be good with us. I don't want the cops reelin' him in just cause he's got skills," Rumble ocmments quietly as his sips his drink. "Haven't met him, but if you think he's interested, bring him to the big guy," Sixshot replies. he finishes his drink quickly before standing up, "No doubt things will be speeding up soon. But for now I'm going to check on things below. Talk to you another time." "A'right, Six, you take it easy," Rumble says with a salute. "I'll be at your next match!" Acting as bookie, no doubt.